Do Stars Hold my Future?
by Steve the Icecube
Summary: A few chronological one-shots about my OCs, mainly Coalstorm. Again, spoilers for current and future fanfics. Most will be challenges and such. Summary: Poor Coalstorm. She's isolated herself all her life, only to have a friend, and lose him. Her thoughts always jumble, and she just gives off the wrong vibes.
1. Chapter 1: Toothache

**CN: For the Secret Santa event for EpiClan, for Ultimate Jelly Sandwich, the mod, with the prompt Herbs.**

Flowerpaw POV

"I'm bored." Coalpaw chimed into the silence.

"Tough." I said. Coalpaw's ears twitched.

"That's what Beechnose always tells me when I complain."

"You must hear it on a daily basis." Stormpaw snickers. I hear Lichencloud sigh outside. They've long stopped trying to keep us quiet.

"Tell me about herbs." Coalpaw prompts.

"Uh, why? You're a warrior apprentice."

"The way my Clanmates look at me, I might need them." She said glumly.

"Knowing herbs won't help. No one will trust you if you know herbs."

"Uh, not fair! Just because Blizzardstream was a medicine cat doesn't mean I can't be trusted with herbs!"

"Fine! Now, there's alder bark, which won't be found in WindClan, but it's common in RiverClan and ShadowClan. It's used to sooth aching teeth or something."

"I think my teeth are fine."

"Ugh. Stop interrupting me! I'm not going to tell you anymore. Mosspaw likes you, doesn't she?"

"A bit... I think, if she were to see me and Blizzardpaw both badly injured, she'd heal Blizzardpaw first. It's the way she is."

"But you're siblings! I'd do anything for Darkpaw!" Stormpaw protested.

"... I think it's because I never played as a kit."

"Really? I thought WindClan cats would force their kits to play tag all day!"

"... You think that, Stormpaw?" Coalpaw snarled

"N-no?" He phrased the answer more like a question, and _something _glinted in the dark. Whether it was eyes, teeth or claws, I didn't know.

"Guys, break it up! All we have is each other here. Don't fight!"

"Shut _up _Flowerpaw! Shut up shut up shut up! You have _no idea _who I am! We're not Clanmates, we just share a den for now! Leave. Me. Alone." Coalpaw cried, and a felt her bushy tail brush my nose as she went into the corner of the room, probably turning her back on us. Lichencloud poked her head in.

"You guys attract so much attention in camp it's unbelievable!"

"Why? We're just your ticket to getting more kits!" Coalpaw snarled

"Coalpaw! Don't make it worse for _us_! You may be some mouse-brained cat with a death wish, but I'm not!" Stormpaw said

"Well, there you go again..." Lichencloud sighed. "You produce more drama than Featherpaw having kits!"

Coalpaw pointedly lay down and put her forepaws over her ears.

* * *

_Many moons later..._

_Coalstorm POV_

I sat in camp, majorly bored. Crisp-pelt had seen me treating Darkleaf really well, and he's really suspicous. So I've sat around, chatting to the RiverClan warriors and helping treat their burns and sore throats.

And shredding prey like I did in ShadowClan, of course.

I don't tell Darkleaf why I do it, because Stormpaw's his brother. He'd know it was my fault, and I know it's selfish, but I just can't let him go.

My teeth hurt now. Flowerpaw told me that if I shredded prey, it would happen, but I don't listen to that daft medicine cat.

I look around. Mosspool and Orangepelt are treating Mistyheart for a nasty looking burn on her leg. They won't have time for my teeth.

So I head into the elders den, looking swiftly behind me just in case I was seen. No one was looking, or paying any attention to the moody warrior.

I sorted through the herbs, until I found a mud-coloured pulp on a bay leaf.

No, I won't. I'll look ridiculous.


	2. Chapter 2: Forever

**AN: Depressing alert! If you can give me the name of the OC I'm writing about (he's one of mine) you get to request something that I put into any of my other fanfics.**

I look to the stars

Every night

And the ache is meant

To go away

But it never does.

* * *

I can't help feeling jealous

Of all dying cats

Because they're on their way

On their way to you

And I'm not.

* * *

I can't look at a Thunderpath

Without feeling sad

Because what happened to you

Changed my life

Forever.

* * *

I hate them all

The cats who live on

Acting like the world is fine

'Cause it isn't

And it never will be.

* * *

StarClan are cruel

Heartless

They took you from me

Me from you

We're both alone.

* * *

I miss your scent

Your voice

Your laugh

So sweet

So carefree.

* * *

And you're gone

Gone forever

A star in the sky

Just another warrior

To all but me.

* * *

To think we wasted it

Wasted it all

Every single moment

Could have been more

If we'd known.

* * *

I just want it to end

So I can join you

Forever

Rabbitleap, I miss you

Rabbitleap, I love you.


	3. Chapter 3: An impossible apprentice

**AN: For Wolfgrowl's Lost in Translation challenge on Warriors Challenge Forum**

**It's "The feeling of pleasure derived from seeing another's misfortune."**

Coalstorm POV

My first apprentice. My very first!

I've always loved the idea of training an apprentice. I took odd goes at it with Stormtail and Acornwing when their respective mentors got tired of seeing them be so disrespectful to me.

Let's just say it didn't turn out well...

Anyway, back to Briarpaw. He seems very spiteful, I'd rather train Ivypaw, to be honest. But her mother saw her potential to be a great warrior and is training her herself.

All I'm doing is showing him how to hunt. Nothing too bad could happen from that, right? Well, I could think of many, but it's better than doing fighting training and possibly ending up with clawmarks somewhere on my body. Which would definitely be a possibility.

"Come on, Briarpaw!" I called into the apprentice den "I'm taking you to hunt!"

"Urgh... I don't want to get... Oh, wait! I'm coming!" He called, and I smiled. Maybe he would turn out okay.

* * *

A few minutes later, Briarpaw was out in the forest with me, trying to get some moss from out behind his ears. "Stop there. You'll never concentrate if you keep doing that." I walked behind him and plucked it out.

"Thanks."

"No problem." I stopped when we reached the river, its water flowing around the rocks at a slow pace. It was very safe to fish. "Here, Briarpaw. I'm going to teach you how to fish."

"So there'll be no hunting your WindClan rabbits?" He said, mockingly

"No there won't be." I said, brushing his insult off. "Stand on one of these rocks, carefully, mind." He did as he was told, but wobbled a bit. "Don't let your shadow fall on the water. The fish will flee."

Briarpaw nodded, a look of concentration on his face. "Well, how do I catch them?" He demanded.

Light flashed on the water, and I saw a small fish. I darted my front left paw forward, and shot my claws out, piercing the fish's skin and getting a good grip. I pulled it out of the water and it flipped onto the bank when I released it. It went still in a matter of seconds.

"Woah..." Briarpaw said, slightly awed. I admit, I did it like that to show off. Normally I quickly dab my paw in and it would be dead before it was out of the water, but I need to make Briarpaw realise I'm a RiverClan cat, not a WindClan cat.

* * *

Briarpaw tried many times to catch a fish, but by sunhigh, had still not caught anything. Suddenly, I saw his claws flash and he pulled a fish out of the water. He dropped it, and I was ready to call him a mousebrain before he got the fish again, and stuck it in the water.

I was transfixed by what he was doing. He let the fish have a few breaths of water, then pulled it out again, and cut it in half. I looked at him sternly when he looked up, a look in his eyes that made me think _I can't train this cat. _"Why did you do that?"

"I was making it suffer. Its kin kept running, so it had to pay. It was fun, anyway."

"No, it didn't. Be thankful to all prey you catch. No warrior enjoys the pain of anything."

* * *

Hailstar looked annoyed "From this moment on, I will mentor Briarpaw, and Coalstorm will mentor Ivypaw." No one cheered, except Darkleaf and Lilycloud, and everyone stared until they shut up.

Ivypaw smiled at me, and I smiled back. At least a few cats were happy of the change.

My second apprentice. I hope this one lasts more than one day.

**AN: Well, that was fun...**

**I hope you enjoyed. Please R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4: Cliffs

**AN: For the Warriors Challenge Forum's Monthly contest, prompt being ****_If you believe that the stars hold hearts, then death is simply another stage of life._**

**_SO MANY MAJOR SPOILERS FOR A FUTURE FANFIC I MAY EXPLODE_**

Lilycloud POV

_I wish I was dead_

Coalstorm's words echoed in my head. She wishes that she's dead. She can't. She can't leave this world behind, to join another. She has _something _to live for, right? She has me, and...

No one. No one except me. Her best friend, who _has a mate, and kits that love her._

Coalstorm's daughter died in leafbare, because of a selfish elder who wouldn't give his food away. He died the day after Ashenkit's death. No guesses on how he died.

Well, Darkleaf, Mistyheart and Coalstorm said that they found him with his neck snapped, at the riverside near the stepping-stones. Must have slipped.

He never said he was going out of camp, he just turned up dead. Surprisingly, no one suspected Coalstorm. Eyes turned to Heatherfur, his daughter, who hated him.

Ashenkit was the _only _one of Coalstorm's kits to forgive her. Acornwing and Stormtail hate her.

And, well, Darkleaf is dead.

Struck down on a hunting patrol with his mother and mate, by a WindClan warrior. The tale told by the queens is that Coalstorm spun into a fury at his death, ripping Blizzardleap's eyes out. I don't doubt it, to be honest.

I don't doubt that Coalstorm wants to die.

I sigh at the early setting sun, and padded back into the nursery after a lick of goodnight from Dustclaw. My belly not yet particularly heavy, but Dustclaw did not want to take any chances about my life. Darkleaf trusted Coalstorm to be alone, though they always preferred to be together.

My nest was soft in the sweet-smelling nursery, the moss gently tickling my chin as I settled down, to the soft mews of Nightkit in his sleep, along with Tigerkit's harsh rasping from his sore throat. "Take him to Frostear tomorrow." I whispered to Mousetail, and she nodded gently, putting her head down and drifting off to sleep.

I curled up, trying to hold in the warmth of the nest this cold leafbare.

My nightmares were haunted with Coalstorm, her new scars glowing in the dawn light of my dream. Her bushy fur ruffled in the wind. She looked haunted, vulnerable. She turned around and started running, and I gave chase. Her sprint was desperate, and she made no sign of slowing as the trees thinned, and the gorge came into view.

I woke up with a start, shaking. Would Coalstorm really do that? Would she kill herself to be with Darkleaf? With Ashenkit? In the peace of the nursery, pain so extreme is very hard to imagine. Such innocence...

_I'm not innocent_

Another thing Coalstorm told me yesterday evening. Well, I presume its yesterday. The glint of Silverpelt is starting to fade from the sky. This is when Coalstorm would be at her most depressed, when she can no longer see Darkleaf. Even if Coalstorm is not innocent, her love for Darkleaf is the purest, strongest bond I've ever seen.

I make up my mind. I trotted quickly out of camp, nodding to Stormtail, who is on camp guard. He nods to me, but scowls slightly, wishing he could be with his mate instead of out here in the cold. "Looking for Coalstorm?" He asked coldly

"Actually, I am. I'm a bit worried about her." He snarled at me.

"No point saving her. The Clan will be better off without a miserable cat drooping around." I looked at him sternly and exited camp.

The cold breeze ruffled my fur, and I shivered. How Coalstorm does this almost all the time... I'll never know. I get a sense of urgency as the sky lightens, and start running.

I hear Coalstorm sobbing in the distance. "Yes... Please..." I whisper, out of breath. Suddenly, Coalstorm springs to her feet, and runs off. My breath quickens. No!

_I might as well..._

I run, fast, seeing her run ahead, her words taunting me in my mind.

_No one will know..._

I will. I have to slow as the trees thin out. "Coalstorm, stop!" I cry "I care about you!"

She whips around. "But you don't care as much as Darkleaf. You never will. I might as well. No one was meant to know. Sure, I'm not innocent enough for StarClan, I think. I have too much blood on my paws. I may as well wish for this, as my heart lies in the next stage of my life: death."

She looks at me straight. I'm shocked by the pain in her eyes. A flash of hope dances across them as I hold her gaze. She steps away, towards me. My heart slows painfully.

Then she jumps.

"Coalstorm!" I cry

"It's fine, Lilycloud. It's warm to me." I swear that she smiles and goes under. I know for a fact that she breathed in purposely.

My best friend.

Gone.


	5. Chapter 5: Demons in my waking life

**AN: The December challenge on Warriors Challenge Forum, slightly more unrelated to Coalstorm than usual, I guess. But it was her that caused Ivypaw to be who she is.**

**This Ivypaw is an OC in RiverClan, by the way, not Ivypool.**

**The prompt was _Feel the demons at your door and when the chimes of sunset ring, let them come in._**

Ivypaw POV

As dusk came, I could feel tiredness lurking in the corners of my eyes, demons just waiting the spring. My pace slowed slightly, and I began lagging behind Briarpaw and Hailstar. She looked back to me. "Are you okay, Ivypaw?"

"I'm fine!" I snap at her. Stupid mother, she doesn't care, really. She hates my father, I don't even know who he is! Just a rogue, lusting for a beautiful she-cat in his grief. Or so my mother says, but I don't think her account is truly correct.

"No, you're not." Hailstar said sternly. "I'd punish you for being so rude to your leader, and the patrol leader, but you're obviously very tired, so instead, you must sleep as soon as we get back."

I made a half snarl, half sigh. I wouldn't be sleeping in my nest, I'd be training with Darkleaf in the Dark Forest.

We padded along the WindClan border, and I spotted Owltalon and Beechnose arguing loudly, probably about Sugarbreeze again. I've seen both Owltalon and Beechnose in the Dark Forest every few moons, but I have no clue who their mentors are or anything, really.

I feel sorry for Sugarbreeze. She's very old, and has cats fighting very openly over whether she deserves the protection of the Clan that she gets. The two arguing cats came closer to the border, until I could make out the conversation.

"I don't understand why you're so sad!"

"She was like a mother to me, Owltalon." Beechnose said sadly "And she _is _your mother."

"No, she isn't. She supported that traitor." In their anger, they never noticed us, or that they had crossed the border. Briarpaw started snarling at them, and Hailstar moved her tail to block him from starting an unneeded battle.

"I believe that you are on RiverClan territory." Hailstar said evenly, and the unknowing trespassers jumped.

"Oh, I apologize, Hailstar. Me and Owltalon were discussing-"

"Arguing." I interjected.

"Enough, Ivypaw. Yes, Beechnose?"

"We were arguing about Sugarbreeze. She died in her sleep last night." I thought I heard a gasp carry on the breeze, but maybe I imagined it. I couldn't take this pressure building up on me. I had to get back to camp, or Darkleaf would be mad. Very mad.

So I sprinted back to camp, Hailstar's angry yowls calling after me. I slowed down when I reached camp, and padded in calmly. Cats looked curiously, but I ignored them and went into the apprentice den, and settled down to meet up with Darkleaf.

The demons took over, and I was evil again.

* * *

_Darkleaf greeted me pleasantly. "We aren't training tonight, Ivypaw." He mewed "We're introducing you to all the dead inhabitants of the Dark Forest." I smiled eagerly. I'd wanted to meet up with my former mentor again for ages._

_We padded into a clearing which was covered in damp leaves. Many shady looking cats were standing around a group of living cats. I pushed past and joined the living cats, recognising Gingerstorm from the Gathering._

_That night, I met several cats, but none that truly interested me. There were two left, and they were standing together. A small dark grey and black tabby with a scar on her face, and a light grey she-kit. Yes, a kit._

_I walked up to them. "Hello, Coalstorm." I said politely, smiling. She turned to me, her wary amber eyes lighting up with a flare of recognition._

_"Hello, Ivypaw. I believe your mentor is Darkleaf?" Her voice mewed, softening when she reached my mentor's name._

_"Yes, it is. Who's the kit?" I asked, sounding ruder than I meant to be._

_"My name is Ashenkit." Her voice chimed coldly "I'm Coalstorm's kit."_

_"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't-"_

_Ashenkit smiled "I know you didn't mean to be so rude, it was written all over your face."_

* * *

_I had a good night, that night. I may be a demon there, and that demon pushes me every second of my waking life, but I'm happy there._

_It's my home._


	6. Chapter 6: Sick

**AN: Short oneshot for the Masquerade challenge on Warriors Challenge Forum. **

**I do not own Warriors, but Coalpaw, Rustlight and Coalstorm belong to me, and Larkstar belongs to kittypainterartist.**

Coalpaw POV

I dreaded tonight.

Today was to be my first full night actually _talking _to Coalstorm, and not fighting her or sleeping properly.

_Oh how nice of you_ her voice said in my head.

And I was not going to sleep at all. Never going to close my eyes.

_But you don't really have a choice. You're tired._

The sun started sinking, and where the dusk patrol were leaving camp, everyone else was leaving to their dens, and finishing of their prey. Rustlight looked at me gently, and she too left, leaving a bite of prey for me. "Goodnight, Coalpaw." She said as she headed to Larkstar's den.

I gave up and headed to the apprentice den. I was tired, to be honest. I'd just have to stand Coalstorm and try to find stuff out about her so I could appeal to her better nature, if she had one.

_I do, don't worry, Coalpaw._

I drifted off to sleep and the darkness overcame me.

* * *

_I woke up in the usual Leafbare clearing, Coalstorm's most influential season. Coated in snow with bare trees and a few frozen puddles, the sky was a clear grey colour. Coalstorm was there to greet me, her dark grey and black tabby fur standing out in the snow, her dark amber eyes enclosed as usual._

_"Hello, Coalstorm." I said cooly_

_"Now that isn't nice, I'm giving you a chance to see me tonight." She replied._

_"Fine, I'll start asking questions. Why do you hate StarClan?"_

_Coalstorm spat at the ground "Oh, I'm fine with StarClan _cats, _but their policies are stupid. I trust Rustlight told you how I died? Or Acornwing?"_

_"You fell in the gorge..."_

_"Pah! I _threw _myself into the gorge. To die."_

_"B-but why?"_

_"Because Darkleaf died... It was a terrible time for me. Darkleaf-"_

_"Who is Darkleaf?"_

_"Oh, I suppose I haven't told you. Darkleaf is my mate."_

_"Dark Forest cats can have mates?"_

_"Of course they can!" Coalstorm snapped "Most of the cats there have something to do with love; whether tearing it apart by murder, having been blinded by the sorrow of their mate leaving them, anything."_

_"But you're not any of those..." I said, trembling at the fire burning in her eyes._

_"No. I apparently had a destiny. And Darkleaf would prevent me completing it. So they killed him, and I went after him. And apparently that isn't right, so they banished me, Darkleaf and Ashenstripe from StarClan."_

_"Darkleaf was in StarClan?"_

_"So was Ashenstripe. Or Ashenkit, back then."_

_"__Ashen_kit?"

_"Yes, Ashenkit, my only kit who forgave my being previously WindClan."_

_"So you took a kit to a dangerous forest."_

_"She chose to go there, Coalpaw. She didn't want to be pampered by dead queens and play freely with dead kits or apprentices. She wanted to grow up to the prime of her life, a warrior."_

_"Are you sure of that? Are you sure you didn't force them into a hard life? Because I think you did."_

_"I'm sure, Coalpaw. I've lived, and died, many moons longer than you."_

_"But you're not better than me. You think you're good, but you're sick. You force innocent cats to do evil things."_

_"You've crossed me for the last time, Coalpaw." Coalstorm was fuming, shaking in anger. "Say goodbye to me leaving you alone. I _will _find Darkleaf, no matter wether I force you to or not."_


	7. Chapter 7: I like training with them

**AN: I'm bored and can't really write much currently :( So, it's time for me to write something I was randomly inspired to write. Short? Yes. Crappy? Probably.**

I was surprised to find herself waking up in StarClan and not in the Dark Forest. I didn't want to wake up in StarClan, I love training with Coalstorm, Asheye, Darkleaf, Ashenpaw, Sweetsong and Leapingriver. It means that I'm special, better than my brother.

So, I didn't want to see the star-speckled clearing that means I'm not in the Dark Forest. Nor did I want to see a couple of boring sparkly cats who would never teach me how to pull off a sneaky hunting move, or how to kill or badly injure and intruder. _Or a StarClan cat. _Though that part always went unspoken during training.

Since training with the Dark Forest, I had learned to swim in marshy water, climb huge or rubbery trees, to hunt, to maim, to kill. To manipulate, to flatter, to take advantage. To scare, to patronize. All those things that I could have been able to do anyway, but with the mentoring I had been given, which was so much better than the stuff I got from my living mentor, had gotten me far in the eyes of my Clanmates.

A brown and grey speckled she-cat padded up to me. "Ivypaw." She mewed in greeting, dipping her head slightly, as if I were an enemy to be tolerated but not accepted. "Welcome to StarClan."

"What do you want?" I mewed, flexing my claws. If this came to a fight, I was ready. I didn't recognize the cat herself, but she looked a lot like that WindClan cat.

"You don't need to be afraid, dear."

"I'm not."

The she-cat smiled. It looked rather fake. "Good, good. I'm Mistear."

Mistear... No. I can't believe that of all cats I have to talk to, I have to talk to Mistear. "Sorry, don't know who you are." I mewed, with fake sympathy.

Mistear sighed. "I suppose that what I would be known for is generally covered up. You probably know some of my kits, Crispstar and Beechnose."

Oh. So that was who the WindClan she-cat was. "That means you mothered Blizzardstream." I mewed. Coalstorm had told me about Blizzardstream, and Asheye had told me a lot about Mistear. "And he fathered Coalstorm."

Mistear closed her eyes. "Ivypaw, about that. That is why you were summoned here tonight. Coalstorm. She's not a nice cat."

"That's my mentor you're talking about." I snarled. "She mentored me when she was alive, too."

"She killed other cats, Ivypaw."

"That cat killed her daughter!"

"Illness killed Ashenkit."

"Her name is Ashen_paw, _Mistear."

"Not in the eyes of StarClan. Ivypaw, those cats are evil."

"Those cats are my friends. I'm not going to stop training with your kin."

"Asheye has killed too."

"And because you had a forbidden love. You didn't get punished for that, you got rewarded. You should be in the Dark Forest because of the part of the Warrior Code you broke, but I'm glad you're not, because it's a better place without you!"

And with that, I forced myself awake, hoping that next time I fell asleep, I'd wake up where I wanted to.


End file.
